Who’s been sleeping in your bed? Census goes under the covers

Anyone refusing to answer the probing census, which asks about their partners and their grasp of English, could face formal interviews and fines

In the 2001 census Kensington and Chelsea's response rate was only 64% (David Bebber)

People who refuse to answer deeply personal questions in the 2011 census
giving details of bedrooms and the sex and identity of overnight guests face
the threat of doorstep interviews conducted under caution.

For the first time, everybody in the country will be obliged to state how well
they speak English; whether they have a same-sex civil partner and whether
they have a second home.

Anyone who refuses faces being questioned by enforcement officers, with the
prospect of prosecution if they continue to resist. The coalition government
is using the tough tactics to ensure householders complete the 32-page
census forms, despite criticism by Tory politicians before the general
election that such questions were “invasive and intrusive”.

Lax enforcement was partly blamed for the serious gaps in the 2001 census. It
was branded a “farce” by some council leaders after approximately 1.5m
households failed to return the form. The response rate